Inactivating device for virus, bacteria, etc. and air conditioner using the same

ABSTRACT

An inactivating device for inactivating virus, bacteria, etc. including a humidifying unit for humidifying flowing air, a humidifying water supply unit for supplying the humidifying unit with humidifying water containing active oxygen species achieved by electrolyzing tap water, and a concentration adjusting unit for adjusting the concentration of the active oxygen species in the humidifying water to a predetermined concentration.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an inactivating device for humidifyingflowing air while inactivating virus, bacteria, etc. contained in theair with humidifying water containing active oxygen specifies, and anair conditioner having the inactivating device.

2. Description of the Related Art

In general, there is known a humidifier in which tap water is adsorbedby a humidifying element and blow-out air is passed through thehumidifying element to humidify the air with the water evaporated by thehumidifying element. In this type of humidifier, repetitive wetting anddrying causes the humidifying element to fall into a state where variousbacteria is liable to breed, and thus there is a risk that bacteria,foul odor, fungus, etc. occurring in the humidifier maybe blown outtogether with the blow-out air.

In order to solve this problem, for example, JP-A-2002-181358 hasproposed an air conditioner having a humidifier in which hypochlorousacid (one kind of active oxygen specifies) is generated by using tapwater and added to tap water to prevent breeding of various bacteria inthe humidifying element.

By using this type of humidifier, it is possible to inactivate virus,bacteria or the like (hereinafter referred to as virus or the like)floated in the air. In this specification, the term of “inactivatevirus, bacteria or the like” covers not only “sterilize or disinfectvirus, bacteria or the like”, but also “remove or filter virus, bacteriaor the like”. The concentration of active oxygen specifies forinactivating virus or the like is varied in accordance with the type ofthe virus or the like. On the other hand, the type of the target virusor the like to be inactivated is different in accordance with the placewhere a humidifier or an air conditioner is set up and the season underwhich these apparatuses are operated.

Accordingly, there is a problem that it is impossible to effectivelyinactivate virus or the like at some place where the humidifier or theair conditioner set up or under some season.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been implemented in view of the foregoingsituation, and has an object to provide an inactivating device that caneffectively inactivate (sterilize, disinfect, remove, etc.) virus,bacteria, etc. without being affected by a place where a humidifier oran air conditioner is set up, a season under which the humidifier or theair conditioner is operated, and an air conditioner having theinactivating device.

In order to attain the above object, according to a first aspect of thepresent invention, there is provided an inactivating device forinactivating virus, bacteria, etc. that comprises a humidifying unit forhumidifying flowing air; a humidifying water supply unit for supplyingthe humidifying unit with humidifying water containing active oxygenspecies achieved by electrolyzing tap water; and a concentrationadjusting unit for adjusting the concentration of the active oxygenspecies in the humidifying water to a predetermined concentration.

In the inactivating device, the humidifying water supply unit isequipped with at least a pair of electrodes for generating thehumidifying water, and the concentration adjusting unit changes the flowrate of tap water passing between the electrodes so that theconcentration of the active oxygen species in the humidifying water isadjusted to the predetermined concentration.

In the inactivating device, the concentration adjusting unit is equippedwith a flow rate adjusting valve for adjusting the flow rate ofhumidifying water in accordance with the concentration of chlorine ionsof tap water.

In the inactivating device, the concentration adjusting unit is equippedwith a flow rate adjusting valve for adjusting the flow rate ofhumidifying water in accordance with the conductivity of tap water.

In the inactivating device, the humidifying water supply unit isequipped with at least a pair of electrodes for generating thehumidifying water, and the concentration adjusting means varies currentflowing between the electrodes or a voltage applied between theelectrodes so that the concentration of the active oxygen species in thehumidifying water is adjusted to the predetermined concentration.

In the inactivating device, the concentration adjusting means varies thecurrent flowing between the electrodes or the voltage applied betweenthe electrodes in accordance with the concentration of chlorine ions inthe tap water.

In the inactivating device, the humidifying water supply unit isequipped with at least a pair of electrodes for generating thehumidifying water, and the concentration adjusting unit varies a timefor current supply to the electrodes so that the concentration of theactive oxygen species in the humidifying water is adjusted to thepredetermined concentration.

In the inactivating device, the concentration adjusting unit varies thetime for current supply to the electrodes in accordance with theconcentration of chlorine ions of the tap water.

In the inactivating device, humidifying water supply unit comprises astock tank for temporarily stocking the tap water and at least a pair ofelectrodes that are disposed in the stock tank and generate thehumidifying water, and the concentration adjusting unit varies a stocktime of the tap water in the stock tank so that the concentration of theactive oxygen species in the humidifying water is adjusted to thepredetermined concentration.

In the inactivating device, the concentration adjusting unit is equippedwith an opening/closing valve whose opening/closing operation iscontrolled so that the stock time of the tap water in the stock tank ischanged in accordance with the concentration of chlorine ions in the tapwater.

In the inactivating device, the concentration adjusting unit is equippedwith an opening/closing valve whose opening/closing operation iscontrolled so that the stock time of the tap water in the stock tank ischanged in accordance with the conductivity of the tap water.

In the inactivating device, the humidifying water supply unit comprisesa stock tank for temporarily stocking tap water, and at least a pair ofelectrodes that are disposed in the stock tank and generate humidifyingwater, and the concentration adjusting unit varies any one of currentflowing between the electrodes, a voltage applied between the electrodesand a time for current supply to the electrodes so that theconcentration of the active oxygen species in the humidifying water isadjusted to the predetermined concentration.

In the inactivating device, the humidifying unit is equipped with aholding unit for temporarily holding humidifying water having aninactivating action that is generated from tap water by supplyingcurrent to electrodes immersed in the tap water and then supplied to thehumidifying unit when no air is supplied.

In the inactivating device, the holding unit is equipped with anopening/closing valve disposed at a water discharge port of thehumidifying unit.

In the inactivating device, the humidifying unit is equipped with anendless filter that is suspended between a pair of rollers and rotatedby rotation of the rollers, and the filter being supplied with thehumidifying water having the inactivating action.

In the inactivating device, the filter comprises a positively-chargedfilter.

In the inactivating device, at least one of the rollers is provided witha water-holding member for temporarily holding the humidifying waterhaving the inactivating action, and the humidifying water concerned issupplied to the filter through the water-holding member when the filterand the roller concerned coming into contact with each other.

In the inactivating device, a wringing roller for removing a part of thehumidifying water held by the filter is disposed on a rotating passageof the filter.

In the inactivating device, the active species contain at least one ofhypochlorous acid, ozone and hydrogen peroxide.

In the inactivating device, the polarities of the electrodes areinverted regularly (periodically) or irregularly under a predeterminedcondition.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is providedan air conditioner including an air blowing fan and a heat exchangerdisposed at an air blow-out port side of the air blowing fan,characterized by further comprising a humidifier for humidifying airintroduced through the heat exchanger, a humidifying water supply unitfor electrolyzing tap water to generate humidifying water containingactive oxygen species, and supplying the humidifying water to thehumidifier, and a concentration adjusting unit for adjusting theconcentration of the active oxygen species in the humidifying water sothat the concentration of the active oxygen species is equal to apredetermined concentration.

In the air conditioner, the humidifying water supply unit is equippedwith at least a pair of electrodes for generating the humidity water,and the concentration adjusting unit changes at least one of the flowrate of tap water flowing between the electrodes, current flowingbetween the electrodes, a voltage applied between the electrodes and atime for current supply to the electrodes so that the concentration ofthe active oxygen species in the humidifying water is adjusted to thepredetermined concentration.

In the air conditioner, the humidifying water supply unit is equippedwith a stock tank for temporarily stocking tap water, and at least apair of electrodes that are disposed in the stock tank and generatehumidifying water, and the concentration adjusting unit changes any oneof current flowing between the electrodes, a voltage applied between theelectrodes and a time for current supply to the electrodes so that theconcentration of the active oxygen species in the humidifying water isadjusted to the predetermined concentration.

The air conditioner further comprises an inactivating control unit forsupplying the humidifying water containing the active oxygen species tothe humidifier during a period when an air conditioning operation of theair conditioner is stopped, thereby inactivating viruses, etc. in thehumidifier.

In the air conditioner, during the period when the air conditioningoperation of the air conditioner is stopped, the humidifying water issupplied to the humidifier every predetermined time.

In the air conditioner, the humidifier is equipped with an endlessfilter that is suspended between a pair of rollers and moved by rotationof the rollers, and the humidifying water containing the active oxygenspecifies is supplied to the filter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a ceiling-suspended typeair conditioner according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the construction of a humidifier;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the construction of a concentrationadjusting unit for humidifying water;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a concentration adjusting operation;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the construction of the concentrationadjusting unit according to a second embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the concentration adjusting operationaccording to the second embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the main body of an air conditioneraccording to a third embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a humidifier according to a thirdembodiment;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the sterilization operation of thehumidifier;

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the main body of the air conditioneraccording to a fourth embodiment; and

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the construction of a captureportion.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Preferred embodiments according to the present invention will bedescribed hereunder with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First Embodiment

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 represents the main body of an airconditioner (hereinafter referred to as the air conditioner main body),and the air conditioner 1 is hooked to suspending bolts suspended fromthe ceiling to be fixedly mounted below an indoor ceiling plate.

An air blow-out port 3 is formed at the front side of the airconditioner main body 1, and a humidifier 5, a heat exchanger 7 and anair blowing fan 9 are accommodated in this order from the air-blow-outport 3 side in the air conditioner main body 1 concerned. A suction port11 is formed below the air blowing fan 9 at the bottom surface of theair conditioner main body 1, and air sucked into the air conditionermain body 1 through the suction port 11 is blown out from the blow-outport 3 through the heat exchanger 7 and the humidifier 5 into the roomby driving the air blow-out fan 9.

The heat exchanger 7 is a fin tube type heat exchanger. A refrigerantpipe (not shown) is connected to the heat exchanger 7, and therefrigerant pipe is led to the outside of the air conditioner main body1, and connected to a compressor, a pressure-reducing device, an outdoorheat exchanger, etc. (not shown). Furthermore, a drain pan 13 formed offoam polystyrene for receiving drain water, etc. occurring in the heatexchanger and the humidifier 5. This drain pan 13 has a drain pool 13awhose bottom surface is formed to be lower in height by one step, and adrain pump 15 is disposed in the drain pool 13a. A drain hose 17 fordischarging the drain water to the outside of the air conditioner mainbody 1 is connected to the drain port of the drain pump 15.

The humidifier 5 is connected to a water supply pipe 21 for supplyinghumidifying water to the humidifier 5, and the water supply pipe 21 issuccessively connected to a flow rate adjusting valve (concentrationadjusting unit) 22 for adjusting the flow rate (amount) of thehumidifying water to be supplied to the humidifier 5, an electrolyticunit (humidifying water supply unit) 23 for generating humidifying waterhaving inactivating action from tap water, a conductivity meter 24 fordetecting the conductivity of tap water, and an opening/closing valve 25for supplying tap water to the electrolytic unit 23 in this order. Inthis specification, the term “tap water” is used in a broad sense, andit may contain running water, city water, etc. In short, any water maybe covered by the tap water insofar as it contains or possibly generatesactive oxygen specifies.

The flow rate adjusting valve 22, the electrolytic unit 22, theconductivity meter 24 and the opening/closing valve 25 are connected toa controller 10 as a concentration adjusting control unit forconcentratively controlling the air conditioner main body 1.

In this embodiment, the humidifier 5, the flow rate adjusting valve 22and the electrolytic unit 23 constitute an inactivating device forinactivating virus, bacteria, etc.

As shown in FIG. 2, the humidifier 5 is equipped with a humidifyingelement 5 a having high water-holding capacity, a dispersing portion 5 bthat is disposed at the upper side of the humidifying element 5 a andsupplies humidifying water onto the upper surface of the humidifyingelement 5 a while substantially uniformly dispersing the humidifyingwater, and a water receiving tray 5 c that is disposed at the lower sideof the humidifying element 5 a and receiving humidifying water passingthrough the humidifying element 5 a. The humidifying element 5 acomprises non-woven fabric formed by acrylic fiber, polyester fiber orthe like. The dispersing portion 5 b has a connection port 41 which isconnected to the water supply pipe 21 in one side surface thereof, andhas many holes (not shown) formed in the bottom surface through whichhumidifying water supplied through the water supply pipe 21 is dispersedto the humidifying element 5 a.

Furthermore, the water receiving tray 5 c holds the humidifying element5 a from the lower side, and also receives humidifying water passingthrough the humidifying element 5 a. A drain pipe 42 for guidinghumidifying water to a drain pan 13 (see FIG. 1) is connected to thebottom surface of the water receiving tray 5 c.

As shown in FIG. 3, the electrolytic unit 23 is equipped with anelectrolytic tank 31 having a larger diameter than the water supply pipe21, and a pair of electrodes 32 and 33 disposed in the electrolytic tank31. When current is supplied to the electrodes 32 and 33, the electrodes32 and 33 electrolyze tap water flowing into the electrolytic tank 31 togenerate active oxygen specifies.

Here, the active oxygen species means molecules having higher oxidationactivation than normal oxygen and related substance thereof. Forexample, they may contain not only so-called strictly active oxygen suchas super oxide anion, singlet oxygen, hydroxyl radical or hydrogenperoxide, but also so-called broad active oxygen such as ozone,hypohalogenous acid or the like.

The electrodes 32 and 33 are two electrode plates each of whichcomprises a base of Ti (titan) and a coating layer of Ir(iridium) and Pt(platinum), and a current value to be supplied to these electrodes 32and 33 is set so that the current density is equal to a predeterminedvalue (for example, 20 mA (milliampere)/cm² (square centimeter), and apredetermined free residual chlorine concentration (for example, 1mg(milligram)/1 (liter) is generated.

Described in detail, when current is supplied to tap water by theelectrodes 32 and 33, the following reaction occurs at a cathodeelectrode:4H⁺+4e⁻+(4OH⁻)→2H₂+(4OH⁻)Furthermore, the following reaction occurs at an anode electrode:2H₂O→4H⁺+O₂+4e⁻At the same time, chlorine ion (added to tap water in advance) inducesthe following reaction:2Cl⁻→Cl₂+2e⁻Furthermore, Cl₂ reacts with water as follows:Cl₂+H₂O→HClO+HCl

In this construction, by supplying current to the electrodes 32 and 33,HClO (hypochlorous acid) having high sterilizing power is generated, andair is passed through the humidifying element 5 a to which humidifyingwater containing hypochlorous acid is supplied, whereby various bacteriacan be prevented from breeding in the humidifying element 5 a and alsovirus floated in the air passing through the humidifying element 5 a canbe inactivated.

Furthermore, foul odor reacts with hypochlorous acid in the humidifyingwater when it passes through the humidifying element 5 a, and thus it isionized and dissolved in the humidifying water, so that the foul odor isremoved from the air and thus the odor can be removed.

The flow rate adjusting valve 22 changes the flow rate (flow amount) ofthe humidifying water supplied to the humidifier 5 by adjusting theopening degree of the flow rate adjusting valve 22. In this embodiment,by adjusting the opening degree of the flow rate adjusting valve 22, theconcentration of hypochlorous acid in the humidifying water can bechanged to a predetermined value (for example, 1 to 20 mg/l).Specifically, when the opening degree of the flow rate adjusting valve22 is adjusted so as to be closed, the flow rate of tape water flowingbetween the electrodes 32 and 33 of the electrolytic unit 23 is reduced.Since the current value supplied to the electrodes 32 and 33 is fixedirrespective of the flow rate of the tap water, and thus the amount ofcurrent flowing in tap water per unit volume is increased. Therefore,the electrolytic reaction at each of the electrodes 32 and 33 ispromoted, whereby the concentration of hypochlorous acid thus generatedcan be increased.

Conversely, when the opening degree of the flow rate adjusting valve 22is adjusted so as to be opened, the flow rate (amount) of tap waterflowing between the electrodes 32 and 33 of the electrolytic unit 23 isincreased, and thus the concentration of hypochlorous acid thusgenerated is reduced.

By changing the concentration of hypochlorous acid as described above,virus or the like as an inactivation target (virus or the like which ismost strongly required to be inactivated) can be changed. In thisembodiment, table data in which virus or the like as the inactivationtargets are associated with the concentration of hypochlorous acid whichis proper to inactivation of virus or the like is stored in a memory(not shown) of the controller 10.

An indoor remote controller (not shown) for operating the airconditioner main body 1 is connected to the controller 10, and when anindication of virus or the like to be inactivated is input through theindoor remote controller, the controller 10 sets the concentration ofhypochlorous acid corresponding to the indication to a targetconcentration.

The operation of the controller 10 will be described hereunder.

When an inactivation target (virus or the like) is selected through theindoor remote controller by a user (step Si), the controller 10 sets toa target concentration the concentration of hypochlorous acid proper toinactivate the target virus or the like thus selected (step S2). Here,the target concentration is normally set to a concentration at whichmany viruses, etc. (for example, mold fungus) existing at a setup placeof the air conditioner main body 1 (for example, school). However, forexample, when target virus which may rapidly increase in some seasonsuch as influenza virus or the like is selected, the controller 10 readsout the concentration of hypochlorous acid corresponding to influenzavirus from the memory, and sets the concentration of hypochlorous acidto the target concentration. Subsequently, the controller 10 detects theconductivity of tap water supplied to the electrolytic unit 23 by theconductivity meter 24 (step S3).

Subsequently, the controller 10 adjusts the opening degree of the flowrate adjusting valve 22 on the basis of the detected conductivity andthe target concentration so that the concentration of hypochlorous acidin the humidifying water reaches the target concentration (step S4), andthe electrolysis of tap water in the electrolytic unit 23 is executed(step S5). Here, the concentration of chlorine ion in the tap watersupplied to the electrolytic unit 23 is not so greatly varied in manydistricts. Therefore, the concentration of chlorine ion in tap water ismeasured in advance before or after the electrolytic unit 23 is set up,and the conductivity corresponding to the concentration of chlorine ionthus measured is stored in the memory of the controller 10 in advance.

Furthermore, with respect to the deviation of the concentration ofchlorine ion in tap water, the conductivity of tap water is detected bythe conductivity meter 24, and the concentration of chlorine ion in tapwater is calculated and corrected on the basis of the detection value.According to this method, it can be calculated how degree the flow rateadjusting valve 22 is opened/closed (i.e., the opening degree isdetermined) to generate humidifying water containing hypochlorous acidof the target concentration from tape water of a predetermined chlorineion concentration.

In this construction, data for the relationship between the targetconcentration of hypochlorous acid and the valve opening degree areachieved by experiments, etc., and stored in the memory of thecontroller 10 every conductivity. Therefore, by adjusting the valveopening degree of the flow rate adjusting valve 22 to a predeterminedopening degree in accordance with the detected conductivity, theconcentration of hypochlorous acid in humidifying water is adjusted tothe target concentration to inactivate the target virus or the like.

Accordingly, the humidifying water containing hypochlorous acid of thetarget concentration corresponding to target virus is supplied to thehumidifier 5, and air is passed through the humidifying element 5 a ofthe humidifier 5, whereby the target virus floated in the air can beinactivated. In this construction, for example when influenza virus isselected, the humidifying water of hypochlorous acid having theconcentration which is set to inactivate the influenza virus is suppliedto the humidifying element 5 a. Therefore, when influenza virus passesthrough the humidifying element 5 a, the influenza virus concerned canbe inactivated, and thus the contamination of influenza virus can besuppressed.

According to this embodiment, there are provided the humidifier 5 forhumidifying flowing air, at least a pair of electrodes 32 and 33 thatare disposed in the humidifier and generate humidifying water achievedby electrolyzing tap water, and the flow rate adjusting valve 22 forchanging the flow rate of tap water passing between the electrodes 32and 33 to adjust the concentration of hypochlorous acid in thehumidifying water to a predetermined concentration. Therefore, theopening degree of the flow rate adjusting valve 22 is adjusted inaccordance with the type of virus or the like, whereby humidifying waterhaving hypochlorous acid having the concentration for inactivating thevirus or the like.

According to this embodiment, the humidifying water containinghypochlorous acid having the concentration concerned is supplied to thehumidifier 5, and air is passed through the humidifying element 5 a ofthe humidifier 5, whereby the target virus or the like can beeffectively inactivated. Furthermore, foul odor reacts with hypochlorousacid in the humidifying water when it passes through the humidifyingelement 5 a, and it is ionized and dissolved in the humidifying water,so that the foul odor can be removed from the air and thus the odor canbe removed.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the humidifying watercontaining hypochlorous acid is passed from the lower side of thehumidifier 5 through the drain pipe 42 and then discharged to the drainpan 13. Therefore, the drain water stocked in the drain pan 13 iscontaminated with the humidifying water, whereby occurrence of variousbacteria in the drain water can be prevented by hypochlorous acid in thehumidifying water and thus occurrence of slime on the drain pan 13 canbe prevented. Therefore, the frequency of cleaning of the drain pan 13and maintenance can be reduced, and thus the labor required for thecleaning and the maintenance can be reduced.

Still furthermore, according to this embodiment, the humidifier 5 isprovided at the air blow-out port 3 side of the air conditioner mainbody 1, and thus the air blown out from the humidifier is prevented frombeing directly introduced to the heat exchanger 7. Therefore, even whenair blown out from the humidifier 5 is contaminated with hypochlorousacid, the heat exchanger 7 can be prevented from being corroded byhypochlorous acid.

In this embodiment, in order to set the concentration of hypochlorousacid in the humidifying water to a predetermined concentration, theopening degree of the flow rate adjusting valve 22 is adjusted inaccordance with the conductivity of tap water. However, for example whenvirus to be inactivated is specified and also the variation of theconductivity of tap water is little, the conductivity of tap water maybe measured in advance when the air conditioner main body 1 is set up,thereby presetting the valve opening degree corresponding to theconductivity concerned and the target concentration of hypochlorousacid.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the electrolysis of tap water isstarted, the conductivity of tap water is detected. The conductivity oftap water is not greatly varied during a day, and thus the conductivityof tap water may be detected only once per several start times of theelectrolysis of tap water without being detected every time.

Second Embodiment

In the first embodiment described above, by changing the flow rate oftap water passing between the electrodes 32 and 33, the concentration ofhypochlorous acid in the humidifying water is adjusted to apredetermined concentration. According to the second embodiment, bychanging a retention (stock) time of tap water in a stock tank, theconcentration of hypochlorous acid in the humidifying water is adjustedto a predetermined concentration.

As shown in FIG. 5, the water supply pipe 21 connected to the humidifier5 is successively connected to a first opening/closing valve(concentration adjusting unit) for supplying humidifying water to thehumidifier 5, an electrolytic unit 52 for generating humidifying waterhaving inactivating action from tap water, a conductivity meter 54 fordetecting the conductivity of tap water, and a second opening/closingvalve 54 for supplying tap water to the electrolytic unit 52. The firstopening/closing valve 51, the electrolytic unit 52, the conductivitymeter 53 and the second opening/closing valve 54 are connected to acontroller 60 as a concentration adjusting control unit.

The electrolytic unit 52 is equipped with a stock tank (electrolytictank) 61 disposed in the supply pipe 21, and a pair of electrodes 62 and63 disposed in the electrolytic tank 61. When current is supplied to theelectrodes 62 and 63, tap water flowing into the stock tank 61 iselectrolyzed to generate hypochlorous acid (active oxygen specifies).Here, the first opening/closing valve 51 is connected to the downstreamside of the stock tank 61, and the second opening/closing valve 54 isconnected to the upstream side of the stock tank 61.

Next, the operation of the controller 60 according to the secondembodiment will be described.

Virus or the like as an inactivation target is selected from the indoorremote controller by a user (step S11). The controller 60 sets to atarget concentration the concentration of hypochlorous acid proper toinactivation of the selected target virus or the like (step S12). Here,the target concentration is normally set to a concentration suitable forinactivate many viruses, etc. (for example, mold fungus) existing at aplace where the air conditioner main body 1 is set up (for example,school). However, for example when a target virus having a risk that itis rapidly increased in some season like influenza virus is selected,the controller 60 reads out the concentration of hypochlorous acidcorresponding to the target virus (influenza virus) from the memory, andsets the read-out concentration of the hypochlorous acid to the targetconcentration.

Subsequently, the controller 60 detects the conductivity of tap watersupplied to the electrolytic unit 52 by the conductivity meter 53 (stepS13). Subsequently, the controller 60 calculates, on the basis of thedetected conductivity and the target concentration, the time (stock timeor retention time) for which tap water is stocked in the stock tank 61so that the concentration of hypochlorous acid in the humidifying waterreaches the target concentration concerned (step S14). Here, theconcentration of chlorine ion in tap water supplied to the electrolyticunit 52 is not greatly varied in many districts. Therefore, theconcentration of chlorine ion in tap water is measured in advance beforeor after the electrolytic unit 52 is setup, and the conductivitycorresponding to the concentration of chlorine ion thus measured isstored in the memory of the controller 60 in advance.

Furthermore, with respect to the deviation of the concentration ofchlorine ion in tap water, the conductivity of tap water is detected bythe conductivity meter 53, and the concentration of chlorine ion in tapwater is calculated and corrected on the basis of the detection value.According to this method, there can be calculated a stock time for whichthe tap water is stocked in the stock tank 61 in order to generatehumidifying water containing hypochlorous acid of the targetconcentration from tape water of a predetermined chlorine ionconcentration.

In this construction, data for the relationship between the targetconcentration of hypochlorous acid and the valve opening degree areachieved by experiments, etc., and stored in a memory (not shown) of thecontroller 60 every conductivity. Therefore, by adjusting the stock timeof the tap water in the stock tank 61 to a predetermined time inaccordance with the detected conductivity, the concentration ofhypochlorous acid in humidifying water is adjusted to the targetconcentration to inactivate the target virus or the like.

Subsequently, the controller 60 closes the first and secondopening/closing valves 51 and 54 (step S15) to stock tap water in thestock tank 61, and the controller 60 starts the counting of the stocktime T1 (step S16) and also executes the electrolysis (step S17).Subsequently, the controller 60 judges whether the stock time T1 haselapsed (step S18). If it is judged that the stock time T1 has not yetelapsed, the controller 60 continues to execute the electrolysis. On theother hand, if it is judged that the stock time T1 elapses, thecontroller 60 successively opens the first opening/closing valve 51 andthe second opening/closing valve (step S19) to supply humidifying watercontaining hypochlorous acid of the target concentration to thehumidifier 5, and the returns the processing to the step S15.

According to this process, the humidifying water having the targetconcentration of hypochlorous acid to the humidifier 5 and air is passedthrough the humidifying element 5 a of the humidifier 5, whereby targetvirus floated in the air can be inactivated. In this construction, forexample when influenza virus is selected, the humidifying water ofhypochlorous acid whose concentration is proper to inactivate theinfluenza virus is supplied to the humidifying element 5 a. Therefore,when influenza virus passes through the humidifying element 5 a, theinfluenza virus concerned can be inactivated, and thus contamination ofinfluenza virus can be suppressed. Furthermore, when foul odor passesthrough the humidifying element 5 a, it reacts with hypochlorous acid inthe humidifying water and it is ionized and dissolved in the humidifyingwater, so that the foul odor is removed from the air and thus the odorcan be removed.

According to this embodiment, there are provided the humidifier 5 forhumidifying flowing air, the stock tank 61 for temporarily stocking tapwater to electrolyze the tap water and thus achieve humidifying water,at least a pair of electrodes 62 and 63 that are disposed in the stocktank 61 and generates humidifying water, and the first opening/closingvalve 51 for changing the stock time of tap water in the stock tank 61to thereby adjust the concentration of hypochlorous acid in thehumidifying water to a predetermined concentration. Therefore, thehumidifying water having hypochlorous acid whose concentration issuitable to inactivate the virus concerned, etc. by adjusting the stocktime of tap water in the stock tank 61 in accordance with the type ofvirus or the like, for example.

According to this embodiment, the humidifying water having hypochlorousacid having the concentration concerned is supplied to the humidifier 5,and air is passed through the humidifying element 5 a of the humidifier5, whereby a target virus or the like can be effectively inactivated.Furthermore, when foul odor passes through the humidifying element 5 a,it reacts with hypochlorous acid in the humidifying water, and thus itis ionized and dissolved in the humidifying water, so that the foul odorcan be removed and thus the odor can be removed.

According to this embodiment, the humidifying water containinghypochlorous acid whose concentration is higher than that of the firstembodiment can be created by setting the stock time of tap water stockedin the stock tank 61 to a sufficient time.

In the above-described embodiment, in order to adjust the concentrationof hypochlorous acid in the humidifying water to a predeterminedconcentration, the flow rate of tap water passing between the electrodes32 and 33 is changed, or the stock time of tap water stocked in thestock tank 61 in which the electrodes 62 and 63 are disposed is changed.However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. Forexample, by changing the value of current flowing in the electrodes orchanging the voltage value applied between the electrodes, theconcentration of hypochlorous acid in the humidifying water is adjustedto a predetermined concentration.

According to this construction, even when neither the flow rateadjusting valve 22 nor the first opening/closing valve 51 is disposed inthe water supply pipe 21, the concentration of hypochlorous acid in thehumidifying water can be changed to a high concentration by increasingthe current flowing between the electrodes 32 and 33 (for example, 40mA/cm² in current density) In this case, the concentration ofhypochlorous acid in the humidifying water can be changed by merelyusing existing electrodes 32 and 33, so that the number of parts can bereduced, the cost can be reduced and the space can be saved.Furthermore, this construction may be combined with the construction ofthe first or second embodiment. According to this construction,humidifying water containing a high concentration of hypochlorous acidcan be quickly generated.

Furthermore, by changing the current supply time to the electrodes, theconcentration of hypochlorous acid in humidifying water may be adjustedto a predetermined concentration. According to this construction, forexamples, the concentration of hypochlorous acid in humidifying watercan be changed by a simpler construction that the construction in whichthe current value flowing between the electrodes 32 and 33 or thevoltage value applied between the electrodes is changed. Furthermore, bycombining this construction with the above-described embodiment, thecurrent supply time to the electrodes can be reduced, and the life-timeof the electrodes can be enhanced.

Third Embodiment

In general, the humidifier is used in a season having low humidity suchas winter or the like, and it is not used in a season having relativelyhigh humidity such as summer or the like. Accordingly, there is a riskthat various bacteria breed in the humidifier in summer, and whenbacteria, foul odor, fungus or the like occurs, they may be blown outtogether with blow-out air.

The third embodiment solves the above-described problem, and even in aseason when no humidifier is used, the breeding of various bacteria inthe humidifier can be suppressed.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the air conditioner main body according tothe third embodiment, and FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing thehumidifier according to the third embodiment. The third embodiment isdifferent from the construction shown in FIG. 1 in that the humidifier 5is equipped with a holding unit for temporarily holding humidifyingwater. The same parts as shown in FIG. 1 are represented by the samereference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 8, a water receiving tray 5 c of the humidifier 5supports the humidifying element 5 a from the lower side and it canstock humidifying water passing through the humidifying element 5 a. Thedrain pipe 42 for guiding humidifying water to the drain pan 13 (seeFIG. 1) is connected to the bottom surface of the water receiving tray 5c, and an opening/closing valve 43 is secured to the drain pipe 42. Inthis construction, the humidifier 5 is equipped with the holding unit 71for temporarily holding the humidifying water, and the holding unit 71is equipped with the humidifying element 5 a, the water receiving tray 5c and the opening/closing valve 43. The opening/closing valve 43 isconnected to the controller 10 as a water holding controller, and theopening/closing valve 43 is closed under the control of the controller10, whereby the humidifying water is stocked in the water receiving tray5 c. Therefore, even when the supply of the humidifying water isstopped, the lower portion of the humidifying element 5 a is immersedwith the humidifying water, and thus the humidifying water is suckedupwardly by the capillary phenomenon.

In this construction, by supplying current to the electrodes 32 and 33,HClO (hypochlorous acid) having strong sterilizing power occurs, andhumidifying water containing hypochlorous acid, that is, humidifyingwater having an inactivating action (inactivating water) is supplied tothe humidifier 5, whereby various bacteria can be prevented fromoccurring in the humidifying element 5 a of the humidifier 5 and thehumidifier 5 concerned.

In this construction, even in a season when the humidifier 5 is notoperated (for example, summer season), humidifying water having theinactivating action is supplied into the humidifier 5 and held in thehumidifying element 5 a to execute the inactivating operation, therebypreventing breeding of various bacteria in the humidifying element 5 aand the humidifier 5.

Next, the inactivating control operation in the humidifier 5 when thehumidifier 5 is not used will be described in detail.

The inactivating control is executed by the controller 10 as theinactivating controller. This inactivating operation is executed whenthe air blowing fan 9 is stopped (for example, when the air conditioningoperation is stopped (when no air is introduced). If the inactivatingoperation is executed during operation (for example, cooling operation)of the air blowing fan 9, the blown air would be humidified air.

When the operation of the air blowing fan 9 is stopped (step S21), thecontroller 10 closes the opening/closing valve 43 provided at the waterdischarge side of the humidifier 5, and also adjusts the flow rateadjusting valve 22 to a predetermined opening degree (step S22). In thiscase, by adjusting the opening degree of the flow rate adjusting valve22 so that the valve is closed, the concentration of hypochlorous acidin the humidifying water can be increased (for example, 5 mg/l), andthus the inactivating time can be shortened. The data for therelationship between the opening degree of the flow rate adjusting valve22 and the concentration of hypochlorous acid in the humidifying watergenerated by the electrolytic unit 23 are achieved by experiments, etc.,and stored in a memory (not shown) of the controller 10.

In this construction, in order to shorten the inactivating time, thevalve opening degree of the flow rate adjusting valve 22 is adjusted soas to increase the concentration of hypochlorous acid in the humidifyingwater. However, sterilization in the humidifier 5 can be sufficientlyperformed insofar as the sterilization time can be secured even when theconcentration of hypochlorous acid is normal (for example, 1 mg/l).

Subsequently, the controller 10 opens the opening/closing valve 25 atthe water supply side to supply tap water to the electrolytic unit 23(step S23), and starts the electrolysis of tap water in the electrolyticunit 23 (step S24). The humidifying unit having the inactivating actionthat is generated by the electrolysis is supplied through the flow rateadjusting valve 22 to the humidifier 5. In this case, since theopening/closing valve 43 is closed, the supplied humidifying water isnot discharged through the opening/closing valve 43. Accordingly, thehumidifying water having the inactivating action is held in the waterreceiving tray 5 c and the humidifying element 5 a and carries outsterilization in the humidifying element 5 a and the humidifier 5.

Subsequently, when a first predetermined time T1 elapses from the startof the supply of the humidifying water, the controller 10 closes theopening/closing valve 25 at the water supply side, and finishes theelectrolysis (step S25). The first predetermined time T1 is set so thatthe humidifying water is prevented from being excessively supplied tothe humidifier 5 by an amount larger than the permissible amount of thehumidifying water which can be held in the water receiving tray 5 c andthe humidifying element 5 a. In this construction, the supply amount perunit time is changed in accordance with the valve opening degree of theflow rate adjusting valve 22, and thus the first predetermined time T1is set in accordance with the valve opening degree of the flow rateadjusting valve 22.

Subsequently, the state that the humidifying water is held in the waterreceiving tray 5 c and the humidifying element 5 a is kept for a secondpredetermined time T2 by the controller 10 (step S26). The secondpredetermined time T2 is set to such a sufficient value that thesterilization in the humidifier 5 is carried out by hypochlorous acid inthe humidifying water. In this construction, the concentration ofhypochlorous acid is changeable in accordance with the valve openingdegree of the flow rate adjusting valve 22, and thus the secondpredetermined time T2 is set to the time corresponding the valve openingdegree, that is, the concentration of hypochlorous acid.

Subsequently, when the second predetermined time T2 elapses, thecontroller 10 opens the opening/closing valve 43 to discharge thehumidifying water in the humidifier (step S27), and then finishes theprocessing.

As described above, according to the above-described embodiment, thereare provided the humidifier 5 for humidifying flowing air and thehumidifying water supply unit for supplying humidifying water to thehumidifier 5. The humidifying water supply unit is equipped with atleast a pair of electrodes 32 and 33 for electrolyzing tap water bysupplying current when no air is conducted and generating inactivatingwater containing hypochlorous acid, and the humidifier 5 is equippedwith the holding unit 71 for temporarily holding the inactivating waterwhich is generated by supplying current to the electrodes 32 and 33 andthen supplied to the humidifier 5. Therefore, even during a period whenthe humidifier 5 is not used, hypochlorous acid is supplied to thehumidifier 5 into the humidifier 5, whereby various bacteria can beprevented from breeding in the humidifier 5.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, by adjusting the valveopening degree of the flow rate adjusting valve 22 to change the flowamount of tap water passing between the electrodes 32 and 33, theconcentration of hypochlorous acid in the humidifying water having theinactivating action can be adjusted to a predetermined concentration.Therefore, the humidifying water containing a high concentration ofhypochlorous acid can be supplied to the humidifier 5, and theinactivating time in the humidifier 5 can be shortened.

Still furthermore, according to this embodiment, the humidifying watercontaining hypochlorous acid is discharged from the lower side of thehumidifier 5 to the drain pan 13. Therefore, the drain water stocked inthe drain pan 13 is contaminated with the humidifying water, wherebyoccurrence of various bacteria in the drain water can be prevented, andthus occurrence of slime on the drain pan 13 can be prevented.Therefore, the cleaning and maintenance frequency of the drain pan 13can be reduced, and thus the labor of the cleaning and maintenance canbe reduced.

In the above-described embodiment, the concentration of hypochlorousacid in the humidifying water is adjusted to a predeterminedconcentration by changing the flow rate of tap water passing between theelectrodes 32 and 33. However, the following construction may beadopted. That is, a stock tank (electrolytic tank) is disposed in thewater supply pipe, a pair of electrodes are provided in the stock tankand a stock time of tap water stocked in the stock tank is changed,whereby the concentration of hypochlorous acid in the humidifying wateris adjusted to a predetermined concentration.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the state that thehumidifying water is held in the humidifying element 5 a of thehumidifier 5 is left for the second predetermined time T2, and after thesecond predetermined time elapses, the opening/closing valve 43 isopened to discharge the humidifying water. However, the presentinvention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, during thestop period of the air conditioning operation of the air conditioner 1,the opening/closing valve 43 is closed and inactivating water issupplied to the humidifier 5. Then, when the air conditioner 1 nextstarts the air conditioning operation, the opening/closing valve 43 isopened. Furthermore, during the stop period of the air conditioningoperation of the air conditioner 1, the supply of the inactivating waterto the humidifier 5 may be carried out every predetermined time.

Fourth Embodiment

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the air conditioner main body according toa fourth embodiment. In the air conditioner main body 100 according tothe fourth embodiment, a capture portion 72 (humidifying unit) forcapturing a virus or the like is provided in place of the humidifier 5having the humidifying element. The capture portion 72 captures thevirus or the like floated in the indoor air introduced through the airblowing fan 9, and discharges clean air to the room. The capture portion72 is supplied with inactivating water having the inactivating action toinactivate the virus or the like captured by the capture portion 72.

As shown in FIG. 11, the capture portion 72 is equipped with a pair ofrollers 81A and 81B, and a filter 82 suspended between the rollers 81Aand 81B. This filter 82 is designed endlessly by connecting both the endportions of the filter 82 in the longitudinal direction to each other.In this construction, an electret filter whose surface is positivelycharged is used as the filter 82. It is generally known that viruses,etc. are negatively charged. Therefore, by using a positively chargedelectret filter, viruses, etc. can be easily captured.

A driving motor 83 for driving the roller 81A is connected to the roller81A through a timing belt 84. When the driving motor 83 is driven, theroller 81A is rotated around the shaft thereof through the timing belt84, and the filter 82 is rotated between the rollers 81A and 81Binterlockingly with the rotation of the roller 81A. Furthermore, awater-holding member (water-holding unit) 85 for temporarily holdinginactivating water is wound around the surface of the other roller 81.The water-holding member 85 is formed of non-woven fabric such asacrylic fiber, polyester fiber or the like, and a discharge port 21A ofthe inactivating water supply pipe 21 is disposed in the neighborhood ofthe upper end portion 85A of the water-holding member 85.

When the inactivating water drops to the upper end portion 85 of thewater-holding member 85 through the discharge port 21A, the inactivatingwater diffuses from the upper end portion 85A of the water-holdingmember 85 downwardly, and infiltrates into the overall area of thewater-holding member 85. When the driving motor 83 is continuouslyoperated under the above state, the filter 82 is rotated between therollers 81A and 81B. At this time, when the filter 82 and thewater-holding member 85 of the roller 81B come into contact with eachother, the inactivating water held by the water-holding member 85infiltrates to the filter 82 in the width direction, so that theinactivating water is supplied to the filter 82. Accordingly, theinactivating water can be supplied to the overall filter 82, and thevirus or the like captured by the filter 82 is inactivated by theinactivating water, and thus the clean air is supplied to the room.

Furthermore, a pair of wringing rollers 87 and 88 for wringing theinactivating water supplied to the filter 82 by pressing the filter 82are provided at the downstream side of the roller 81B in the traveldirection (in the direction of an arrow X in FIG. 11) of the filter 82.The wringing rollers 87 and 88 comprises a fixed roller 87 disposedinside the filter 82 and a movable roller 88 disposed so as to face thefixed roller 87 through the filter 82. The movable roller 88 is providedso that the distance thereof from the fixed roller 87 is freelyvariable. By changing the distance between the movable roller 88 and thefixed roller 87, the thickness of the filter being used or the amount ofinactivating water to be wringed from the filter 82 can be changed.

According to this construction, by reducing the wringing degree of thefilter 82, the amount of inactivating water contained in the filter 82can be increased. Furthermore, by passing air of the air blowing fan 9under the above state, indoor air can be also humidified.

In this construction, the rotational direction of each of the rollers81A and 81B is determined so that the filter 82 passes over the roller81B after the filter 82 captures the virus or the like. Therefore, thevirus or the like thus captured can be immediately inactivated by theinactivating water, and thus the virus or the like can be prevented fromscattering again while keeping their activation.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the inactivatingdevice is equipped with the capture portion 72 for capturing virus,bacteria or the like in the flowing air, the capture portion 72 beingequipped with the endless filter 82 which is suspended between the pairof rollers 81A and 81B and driven by rotating the rollers 81A and 81B,and also equipped with the electrolytic unit 23 for electrolyzing tapwater to achieve inactivating water containing hypochlorous acid andsupplying the inactivating water concerned to the filter 82. Therefore,the virus or the like captured by the filter 82 can be stronglyinactivated by the inactivating water.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, since the inactivating wateris continued to be supplied to the filter 82, the inactivating functionis not weakened with lapse of time, and the virus or the like capturedby the filter 82 can be prevented from re-scattering with keeping theiractivation.

Still furthermore, according to this embodiment, the positively chargedelectret filter is used as the filter 82, and thus a negatively chargedvirus or the like is adsorbed by the positively charged electret filter,so that the virus or the like can be easily captured by the filter. Inthis embodiment, one roller 81B is provided with the water-holdingmember 85 for temporarily holding inactivating water, and theinactivating water is supplied to the filter 82 through thewater-holding member 85 when the filter 82 and the roller 81B come intocontact with each other. Therefore, the inactivating water can besupplied to the overall district of the filter 82 with a simpleconstruction, and the virus or the like captured by the filter 82 can beinactivated.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the wringing rollers 87 and 88 forremoving a part of the inactivating water held in the filter 82 aredisposed on the passage along which the filter 82 is moved. Accordingly,humidified air can be prevented from being discharged to the room bywringing the inactivating water from the filter 82 with the rollers 87and 88. Furthermore, in this construction, the distance between thewringing rollers 87 and 88 is changeable, whereby a desired humid statecan be realized even when the indoor air is humidified.

Still furthermore, according to this embodiment, the valve openingdegree of the flow rate adjusting valve 22 is adjusted to change theflow rate (amount) of tap water passing between the electrodes 32 and33, whereby the concentration of hypochlorous acid in the inactivatingwater can be adjusted to a predetermined (desired) concentration.Therefore, inactivating water containing a high concentration ofhypochlorous acid can be supplied to the capture portion 72, and thusthe time required to inactivate the virus or the like captured by thecapture portion 72 can be shortened.

Still furthermore, the concentration of hypochlorous acid ininactivating water is adjusted by changing the flow rate of tap waterpassing between the electrodes 32 and 33. In place of this construction,the following construction maybe adopted. That is, the stock tank(electrolytic tank) is disposed in the water supply pipe, a pair ofelectrodes are disposed in the stock tank, and the stock (retention)time of tap water stocked in the stock tank is changed, whereby theconcentration of hypochlorous acid in the inactivating water is adjustedto a predetermined concentration.

Still furthermore, in this embodiment, the filter 82 is continuouslyoperated. However, a sufficient amount of virus may be captured to thefilter 82 by intermittently driving the driving motor 83, and then thedriving motor 83 may be rotated by inactivate the virus.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the water-holding member85 for holding inactivating water is provided to the surface of theroller 81B, and the inactivating water is supplied to the filter 82through the water-holding member 85. However, the present invention isnot limited to this embodiment. For example, a spray nozzle for sprayinginactivating water along the width direction of the filter 82 maybeprovide so that the inactivating water is directly supplied to thefilter through the spray nozzle.

Still furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the captureportion 72 is disposed at the air blow-out port of the air conditionermain body 1. However, the present invention is not limited to thisembodiment, and the capture portion 72 may be disposed at the airsuction port 11. According to this construction, cleaned air is passedthrough the air conditioner and thus the inside of the air conditionercan be sterilized.

Still furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the electretfilter is provided to the filter 82 of the capture portion 72. However,the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and an HEPAfilter, a high-performance filter, an middle-performance filter or thelike may be used.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments,and other various modifications may be made to the embodiments withoutdeparting from the subject matter of the present invention. In theabove-described embodiments, the construction for generatinghypochlorous acid as active oxygen specifies is adopted. However, aconstruction for generating ozone (O₃), hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) or thelike as active oxygen species may be adopted. In this case, whenplatinum tantalum electrodes are used, active oxygen species can begenerated from even water containing rare ion species stably with highefficiency by electrolysis.

At this time, at the anode electrode, the following reaction occurs:2H₂O→4H⁺+O₂+4e⁻At the same time, the following reactions occur:3H₂O→O₃+6H⁺+6e⁻2H₂O→O₃+4H⁺+4e⁻Accordingly, ozone (O₃) is generated. Furthermore, at the cathodeelectrode, O₂ ⁻ generated in the electrode reaction and H⁺ in thesolution are bonded to each other like the following reactions, andhydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) is generated.4H⁺+4e⁻+(4OH⁺)→2H₂+(4OH⁻)O₂ ⁻+e⁻+2H⁺→H₂O₂

In this construction, ozone (O₃) or hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) which hasstrong sterilizing power is generated by supplying current to theelectrodes, and thus humidifying water containing ozone (O₃) or hydrogenperoxide (H₂O₂) can be made. The concentration of ozone (O₃) or hydrogenperoxide (H₂ 0 ₂) in the humidifying water is adjusted to aconcentration suitable to inactivate a target virus or the like, and airis passed through the humidifying element supplied with the humidifyingwater containing ozone (O₃) or hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) whoseconcentration is adjusted as described above, thereby inactivatingtarget virus or the like floated in the air. Furthermore, when foul odorpasses through the humidifying element, it reacts with ozone or hydrogenperoxide in the humidifying water, and it is ionized and dissolved inthe humidifying water, so that the foul odor is removed from the air,thereby performing deodorization.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiments, the humidifying waterdischarged from the humidifier 5 or the capture portion 72 is stocked inthe drain pan 13, and then discharged to the outside of the airconditioner through the drain pump 15 together with the drain water.However, a part of the drain water or the overall drain water maybereturned to the electrolytic unit and re-used. In this case, sterilizedhumidifying water is electrolyzed in the electrolytic unit again, andthus occurrence of various bacteria in humidifying water is preventedwhen it is re-used. Furthermore, by re-using humidifying water, thesupply amount of tap water can be reduced, and thus energy saving can beperformed.

Furthermore, when scale is deposited on the electrode (cathode) byelectrolyzing tap water, the electrical conductivity is lowered and thusit is difficult to continuously carry out the electrolysis. In thiscase, it is effective to invert the polarities of the electrodes (theplus and minus polarities of the electrodes are switched to each other).The scale deposited on the cathode electrode can be removed byelectrolyzing tap water while the cathode electrode is used as the anodeelectrode. In this polarity inverting control, the polarities may beregularly inverted by using a timer, or irregularly inverted like thepolarities are inverted every time the operation is started.Furthermore, increase of the electrolysis resistance (reduction inelectrolytic current or increase in electrolytic voltage) may bedetected to invert the polarities on the basis of the detection result.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiments, the concentration ofhypochlorous acid in the humidifying water is adjusted to apredetermined concentration in accordance with the detected conductivityof tap water, however, the present invention is not limited to thisembodiment. For example, the concentration of chlorine ions in tap watermay be measured and the concentration of hypochlorous acid may beadjusted to a predetermined concentration in humidifying water inaccordance with the measured concentration of chlorine ions. In thiscase, an ion concentration sensor for measuring the concentration ofchlorine ions is provided to the water supply pipe 21.

Still furthermore, in the above-described embodiments, the conductivityof tap water is measured by using the conductivity meter. However, acurrent value when a predetermined voltage is applied to each electrodeis detected, and the conductivity may be calculated from the currentvalue. In this case, the conductivity can be detected by using existingelectrodes, and thus the number of parts can be reduced, so that thecost can be reduced and the space can be reduced.

Still furthermore, in the above-described embodiments, the presentinvention is applied to the ceiling-suspended type air conditioner,however, the present invention is not limited to this type of airconditioner. For example, the present invention may be applied tovarious types of air conditioners such as a wall-hanging type airconditioner, an in-ceiling embedded (cassette) type air conditioner,etc.

Still furthermore, in the above-described embodiments, the number of theelectrodes used for electrolysis is equal to two. However, the number ofthe electrodes is not particularly limited to two, and the number ofelectrodes may be equal to three or more.

1. An inactivating device for inactivating virus, bacteria, etc.contained in air comprising: a humidifying unit for humidifying flowingair; a humidifying water supply unit for supplying the humidifying unitwith humidifying water containing active oxygen species having aninactivating action on virus, bacteria, etc., the active oxygen speciesbeing achieved by electrolyzing tap water; and a concentration adjustingunit for adjusting the concentration of the active oxygen species in thehumidifying water to a predetermined concentration.
 2. The inactivatingdevice according to claim 1, wherein the humidifying water supply unitis equipped with at least a pair of electrodes for generating thehumidifying water, and the concentration adjusting unit changes the flowrate of tap water passing between the electrodes so that theconcentration of the active oxygen species in the humidifying water isadjusted to the predetermined concentration.
 3. The inactivating deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the concentration adjusting unit isequipped with a flow rate adjusting valve for adjusting the flow rate ofhumidifying water in accordance with the concentration of chlorine ionsof tap water.
 4. The inactivating device according to claim 1, whereinthe concentration adjusting unit is equipped with a flow rate adjustingvalve for adjusting the flow rate of humidifying water in accordancewith the conductivity of tap water.
 5. The inactivating device accordingto claim 1, wherein the humidifying water supply unit is equipped withat least a pair of electrodes for generating the humidifying water, andthe concentration adjusting means varies current flowing between theelectrodes or a voltage applied between the electrodes so that theconcentration of the active oxygen species in the humidifying water isadjusted to the predetermined concentration.
 6. The inactivating deviceaccording to claim 5, wherein the concentration adjusting means variesthe current flowing between the electrodes or the voltage appliedbetween the electrodes in accordance with the concentration of chlorineions in the tap water.
 7. The inactivating device according to claim 1,wherein the humidifying water supply unit is equipped with at least apair of electrodes for generating the humidifying water, and theconcentration adjusting unit varies a time for current supply to theelectrodes so that the concentration of the active oxygen species in thehumidifying water is adjusted to the predetermined concentration.
 8. Theinactivating device according to claim 7, wherein the concentrationadjusting unit varies the time for current supply to the electrodes inaccordance with the concentration of chlorine ions of the tap water. 9.The inactivating device according to claim 1, wherein humidifying watersupply unit comprises a stock tank for temporarily stocking the tapwater and at least a pair of electrodes that are disposed in the stocktank and generate the humidifying water, and the concentration adjustingunit varies a stock time of the tap water in the stock tank so that theconcentration of the active oxygen species in the humidifying water isadjusted to the predetermined concentration.
 10. The inactivating deviceaccording to claim 9, wherein the concentration adjusting unit isequipped with an opening/closing valve (51,54) whose opening/closingoperation is controlled so that the stock time of the tap water in thestock tank is changed in accordance with the concentration of chlorineions in the tap water.
 11. The inactivating device according to claim 9,wherein the concentration adjusting unit is equipped with anopening/closing valve whose opening/closing operation is controlled sothat the stock time of the tap water in the stock tank is changed inaccordance with the conductivity of the tap water.
 12. The inactivatingdevice according to claim 1, wherein the humidifying water supply unitcomprises a stock tank for temporarily stocking tap water, and at leasta pair of electrodes that are disposed in the stock tank and generatehumidifying water, and the concentration adjusting unit varies any oneof current flowing between the electrodes, a voltage applied between theelectrodes and a time for current supply to the electrodes so that theconcentration of the active oxygen species in the humidifying water isadjusted to the predetermined concentration.
 13. The inactivating deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the humidifying unit is equipped with aholding unit 71 for temporarily holding the humidifying water having theinactivating action that is generated from the tap water by supplyingcurrent to electrodes immersed in the tap water and then supplied to thehumidifying unit when no air is supplied.
 14. The inactivating deviceaccording to claim 13, wherein the holding unit is equipped with anopening/closing valve disposed at a water discharge port of thehumidifying unit.
 15. The inactivating device according to claim 1,wherein the humidifying unit is equipped with an endless filter that issuspended between a pair of rollers and rotated by rotation of therollers, and the filter being supplied with the humidifying water havingthe inactivating action.
 16. The inactivating device according to claim15, wherein the filter comprises a positively-charged filter.
 17. Theinactivating device according to claim 15, wherein at least one of therollers is provided with a water-holding member for temporarily holdingthe humidifying water having the inactivating action, and thehumidifying water concerned is supplied to the filter through thewater-holding member when the filter and the roller concerned cominginto contact with each other.
 18. The inactivating device according toclaim 17, wherein a wringing roller for removing a part of thehumidifying water held by the filter is disposed on a rotating passageof the filter.
 19. The inactivating device according to claim 1, whereinthe active species contain at least one of hypochlorous acid, ozone andhydrogen peroxide.
 20. The inactivating device according to claim 1,wherein the polarities of the electrodes are inverted regularly orirregularly under a predetermined condition.
 21. An air conditionerincluding an air blowing fan and a heat exchanger disposed at an airblow-out port side of the air blowing fan, characterized by furthercomprising: a humidifier for humidifying air introduced through the heatexchanger; a humidifying water supply unit for electrolyzing tap waterto generate humidifying water containing active oxygen species having aninactivating action on virus, bacteria, etc., and supplying thehumidifying water to the humidifier; and a concentration adjusting unitfor adjusting the concentration of the active oxygen species in thehumidifying water so that the concentration of the active oxygen speciesis equal to a predetermined concentration.
 22. The air conditioneraccording to claim 21, wherein the humidifying water supply unit isequipped with at least a pair of electrodes for generating the humiditywater, and the concentration adjusting unit changes at least one of theflow rate of tap water flowing between the electrodes, current flowingbetween the electrodes, a voltage applied between the electrodes and atime for current supply to the electrodes so that the concentration ofthe active oxygen species in the humidifying water is adjusted to thepredetermined concentration.
 23. The air conditioner according to claim21, wherein the humidifying water supply unit is equipped with a stocktank for temporarily stocking tap water, and at least a pair ofelectrodes that are disposed in the stock tank and generate humidifyingwater, and the concentration adjusting unit changes any one of currentflowing between the electrodes, a voltage applied between the electrodesand a time for current supply to the electrodes so that theconcentration of the active oxygen species in the humidifying water isadjusted to the predetermined concentration.
 24. The air conditioneraccording to claim 21, further comprising an inactivating control unitfor supplying the humidifying water containing the active oxygen speciesto the humidifier during a period when an air conditioning operation ofthe air conditioner is stopped, thereby inactivating the humidifier. 25.The air conditioner according to claim 24, wherein during the periodwhen the air conditioning operation of the air conditioner is stopped,the humidifying water is supplied to the humidifier every predeterminedtime.
 26. The air conditioner according to claim 21, wherein thehumidifier is equipped with an endless filter that is suspended betweena pair of rollers and moved by rotation of the rollers, and thehumidifying water containing the active oxygen specifies is supplied tothe filter.